Over 290 million pounds of carpet were recycled nationally in 2012, according to a story in Waste & Recycling News. Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), a nationwide organization voluntarily working to increase recycling of used carpet, says that they were able to divert more than 351 million pounds of carpet out of U.S. landfills in 2012, a 17 percent increase over 2011.

Of the volume diverted, California represents 32% of the total diversion number. That is because California is the first state in the country to establish a comprehensive and industry-financed carpet recycling program through AB 2398 (Speaker Perez), which was signed by the Governor in 2010.

CARE serves as the stewardship organization for California's AB 2398 carpet recycling law. For 2012, CARE reports that 112 million pounds of carpet were diverted from landfill and 48 million pounds were recycled in this state.

CAW has supported other producer responsibility measures like AB 2398, which led to development of producer responsibility programs for products including paint, and thermostats. And CAW is continuing those efforts this legislative session by supporting SB 254 (Hancock and Correa), which would create the first statewide mattress recycling program.